The New York Knicks are looking to get active in trade talks before the league deadline on Feb. 20. While the team has very little they can offer when it comes to draft compensation, they have some size on the roster that could be dealt away. With star players in mind, both Amar'e Stoudemire and Metta World Peace could be sent packing by the end of the month.
Bill Imgram of Basketball Insiders reports the Knicks are targeting a star player before the deadline to pair next to Carmelo Anthony. The team has tried this before and no one has worked out. New York's season continues to go from bad to worse with each game and now the focus is starting to shift to the offseason. The Knicks would ideally like to land a big name in the trade deadline in order to keep Anthony from jumping ship in free agency.
While the media has had a field day speculating whether the Knicks would actually deal Anthony himself, that is never going to happen. However, Imgram reports that Stoudemire could be the latest trade bait New York is dangling. Naturally the first name the team brings up as a potential target is Boston's Rajon Rondo.
The Celtics point guard has been on the Knicks radar for some time now. He is not a free agent until 2015, but with speculation that Rondo is not so keen on the current rebuilding process, New York is thinking about making a run at him now instead of later. The issue is the asking price for Rondo.
The Knicks have been looking at upgrades in the point guard position. They were very active in talks to acquire Kyle Lowry, but the asking price from the Toronto Raptors is simply too high. The Celtics could be convinced to take a deal involving Stoudemire since the big man has an expiring contract that would work into Boston's long-term plan to make a splash in free agency over the next two years. New York would not be able to offer up just Stoudemire in order to get the point guard, which is where this potential deal could break down.
With the Knicks continuing to drop, several players could be on the outs. World Peace admitted that he would certainly be open to a trade if the team approached him. According to Marc Berman of the New York Post World Peace is looking to get out of the situation in New York. A team source says World Peace "didn't sign up" for what is happening with the Knicks. World Peace only briefly touched on the subject saying it was up to his agent if a move is made.
The Knicks will not get much in a deal for World Peace, but pairing him with someone else could certainly bring some help to the roster. Will any of these moves be made? James Dolan has to be concerned about Mike Woodson before anything else.
